Northboro motel given Dec. 31 deadline to take steps to reduce crime

Selectmen last night voted to give the owner of the troubled Motel 6 on Route 9 until the end of the year to put measures in place to cut down on crime or face disciplinary action.

Selectmen scheduled a show cause hearing last night to determine whether to take disciplinary action, including suspension and revocation of the owner's inn holder's license. But instead, Jayesh Patel, owner of the motel; his lawyer, Robert Seder, and Police Chief Mark K. Leahy said they are confident that following the recommendations will deter criminal activity.

The action follows such incidents at the motel this year as a killing, prostitution stings, drug transactions, assaults and a serious stabbing.

Some of the recommendations, which Mr. Patel said he is happy to follow, include more surveillance cameras; a color photocopy ID for all registered guests; a more detailed registration form that requires more patron personal information than just a name and address; a requirement that registered guests list who else will be in the room; better outdoor lighting, especially on the side and rear of the building, and training of employees to better detect and weed out suspicious people and criminal activity.

Mr. Seder said his client is already following many of the chief's suggestions.

The owner has also discussed having registered guests display a parking permit on the dashboard of their vehicle so security can easily spot vehicles that don't belong on the property.

“My meetings with Mr. Patel have been very productive. He's a very astute businessman and he knows this is bad for his business,” Chief Leahy told the board. “I have a very good feeling about where we're going to try to address the problems.”

Mr. Patel said he's not happy with what's happening at his property.

He said he came to this country for “hope, change and opportunities,” which he has attained. He said he's owned the Motel 6 for 10 years but has only had problems there in the past 10 months.

He said he was devastated when a 19-year-old man was allegedly stabbed to death by a prostitute and a pimp in one of his motel rooms in March.

“That was not an easy thing to take. I have a 19-year-old boy myself. I could not sleep for days,” Mr. Patel said as his eyes began to tear up. “That was endless pain for me.”

Selectmen gave Mr. Patel until Dec. 31 to carry out the chief's recommendations.

He has until Jan. 2 to provide the board with a written status report.